Re: [Boost-users] Know your audience (was: Iterating over the seconds of a list of pairs)

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] Know your audience (was: Iterating over the seconds of a list of pairs)
From: Björn Karlsson (Bjorn.Karlsson_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-08-13 13:56:21

Hello Rob,

> Taken to its logical extreme that would suggest that we should always 
> be writing at the lowest common denominator of all participating 
> programmers.
> 
> That seems at odds with 'best of breed' ideologies.

I agree, and that's why I advocate this approach: 

 * Write the best code you possibly can using the best tools you have.
    (Boost has lots of magnificent tools.)
 * When your code and tools are too complex for your peers to understand, teach them what you know.

My point regarding "when my peers think I write overly complex code they are always right"?
It's that I have the power to change their minds by teaching them things I know that they previously didn't. Or I can learn from them how to write code that's only as complex as it needs to be.
 
(It should be duly noted that I all too often fail to follow my own advice.)

This is a very interesting topic and I've just published an article covering the Boost question we're talking about. It's called "Good Code && Good Advice", is packed with Boost usage, and you'll find it on www.skeletonsoftware.net/downloads.aspx. 

I guess this thread is slowly drifting off topic, but thank you for bringing it up! 

Cheers,
Bjorn Karlsson